Hearing from his home state schools and the rest of the Pac-10 was a good start for San Jose (Calif.) running back Byron Marshall.

But he hopes his list of offers soon has a national flare to it.

Already recognized as one of Northern California's best athletes and a budding track star, Marshall may not have to wait long for more opportunities. But he is hoping that a strong performance at the U.S. Army National Combine will vault him onto the national scene.

"I like the SEC," Marshall said. "I've got letters from Alabama, Miami, Georgia and LSU. I'd like to hear a lot more those schools because they play great football down there."

Marshall isn't ruling out the option of staying out west just yet, though.

"I've had a lot of interest from Pac-10 schools, especially Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Arizona," Marshall said. "I went to a lot of unofficial visits to Cal and Stanford since they're close to where I live. They're both great programs. I like both Coach [Jeff] Tedford and Coach [Jim] Harbaugh."

USC has had some contact with Marshall, though the Trojans' recruitment of Marshall may be in its infancy.

"I went to their camp last year and the coach seemed really interested," Marshall said. "They sent me some letters, but not a whole bunch, so I'm kind of waiting on them."

Marshall's strongest ties remain in the West. His brother, Cameron, starred for Arizona State this year as a sophomore. His close friend and training partner, Sunnyvale (Calif.) running back Amir Carlisle, has committed to play at Stanford next season.

Despite playing the same position as Carlisle, Marshall isn't concerned with competing with his friend for playing time.

"I have no doubt in my ability, no disrespect to anyone else, especially Amir," Marshall said. "If we were both to go to Stanford, we'd both play."

USCfootball.com will keep you updated on Marshall's recruitment and performance in San Antonio.